Thread: Georgia: Immigration bill gaining more support

Remember guys and gals, Sam Zamarripa is the guy who co-founded a bank (United Americas Bank) in Marietta, Ga. that makes home loans to illegals using Tax ID #'s. He's also a MEChA alum and is really tight with MALDEF. I saw him at the hearing on Monday, he really is a weasel.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/ ... egals.html

Panel OKs crackdown on illegals
Controversial measure heads for full Senate

By JIM THARPE , CARLOS CAMPOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/01/06
jtharpe@ajc.com

The most comprehensive illegal immigration proposal ever to come before the Georgia Legislature got an initial nod of approval Tuesday, setting the stage for a showdown on the Senate floor.

A Senate committee approved the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act by a 5-2 vote, following two days of hearings.

Critics said the measure will unfairly penalize impoverished immigrant laborers who are here seeking a better life. Supporters called it the first step in a multi-year process needed to address the estimated 250,000 to 800,000 foreigners who have unlawfully come to Georgia, overburdening the state's taxpayer-supported programs while avoiding taxes.

"If this bill in its present form makes it into law, it will be the strongest [immigration] law in America," said the bill's author, state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock).

Political observers expect the bill to pass both chambers of the Legislature in an election year when polls show that more than 80 percent of Georgians want lawmakers to address the issue.

The law would prohibit adult illegal immigrants from receiving many taxpayer-funded benefits, financially penalize private employers who hire illegals, require employers with public contracts to verify that their workers are in the country legally, and crack down on human trafficking.

The measure would not prohibit the children of illegal immigrants from attending public school, nor would it deny them certain medical benefits, such as emergency medical care, prenatal care and immunizations. Many of those benefits have been guaranteed by federal courts.

The bill also does not include any major effort to deal with forged documents, which Rogers said is its biggest failing. Forged documents make it impossible to verify legal status and can often be used to obtain genuine documents, he said.

"Does it have all the teeth in it needed to correct this entire problem? No," Rogers said. "But we don't always get everything we want. Politics is about working with people and agreeing on where you can meet in the middle."

Four Republicans on the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee joined with Sen. Valencia Seay (D-Riverdale) to send the proposal to the full Senate. Two Democrats opposed the measure, including Sen. Steen Miles (D-Decatur), who called it "draconian."

"The message here is simple: 'If you're brown, get outta town,' " Miles said after the vote. She said the federal government, not the state, should be dealing with illegal immigration. "If we can't keep them out of the United States, how can we keep them out of Georgia?" Miles asked.

Proponents of Senate Bill 529 say the state must act because the federal government has repeatedly failed to secure the nation's borders. Legislation aimed at illegal immigration has sprung up in statehouses around the nation this year.

After the vote, Sen. Sam Zamarripa (D-Atlanta) said that, while he will not vote for the bill when it goes before the Senate, it "is certainly better than it started out." He worked closely with Rogers on parts of the bill.

"I still maintain this is a federal issue," said Zamarripa, the only Hispanic in the state Senate. "We cannot be a substitute for the failure of national policy."

D.A. King of Cobb County, who has mounted a grass-roots effort to crack down on illegal immigration in Georgia, said he is pleased with the bill.

"In its present state, it's the most effective bill in the country," King said. "And I think it could get stronger before the end of the [legislative] process."

It seems people have a concern only about one particular group of immigrants. Please do a google search on illegal immigration and you will see it is not only one group that has illegals in the US. As far as the suggestions here, I rather not comment because obviously people do not remember their history nor geography. It is sad to see ignorance all over this forum. SAD.

Which group are you talking about? If you thoroughly search the forum there are news articles and discussions involving illegal immigrants from many different countries. However the largest majority happen to come from Mexico. It seems to me the largest group is most likely going to get the biggest discussions. Sounds like you need a geography and history lesson with your ignorance.

alien,

What ignorance is that? would you care to enlighten one as backward as myself?

Hey alien. Do a search on illegal immigration and you will see www.alipac.us on the first page results of all search engines.

I think we know a thing or two about illegal immigration!

W

Which group are you talking about, alien? Yesterday alone, I recall seeing posts regarding illegal aliens from at least five different countries. The common thread is "illegal" and it doesn't make a whole lot of difference to any of us which country those illegal aliens came from. One is just as illegal as the next. So unless you have some profound new evidence to support why you are so smart and the people here who seek out articles and information each day are dumb, I suggest that you keep your thoughts to yourself or take them someplace where the people are as blind as you are to the facts.